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by Cyan (vehicroids), Meynara



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, It was canon compliant then S5 hit, M/M, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-06-01 10:37:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15141290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehicroids/pseuds/Cyan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meynara/pseuds/Meynara
Summary: The war is over, Zarkon has been defeated, and the Galra Empire is at peace. Finally, after years of fighting, it’s time for the Paladins to return to their home; to Earth. While there is still much to be worked out, the details can wait. Meeting with family and friends who have long thought they were dead should be relaxing and fun for everyone (if emotional at first), but for two Paladins, the feelings of joy are overshadowed by a growing pain within. Who knew being separated from the team would cause such trouble?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WHEEZES and we're done! I can't believe it!! I'd like to give my thanks to [Mey](http://meythecat.tumblr.com) for writing this with me!! Do check her out. The art is by [Mary](http://artbymaryc.tumblr.com) [[link 1](http://artbymaryc.tumblr.com/post/175479787152/more-like-home-art-1-for-home-by)] [[link 2](http://artbymaryc.tumblr.com/post/175479811257/always-been-you-art-2-for-home-by-vehicroids-for)], who has been an absolute sweetheart this entire time. Honestly, she came in late to the game, and still managed to get her art done in the 2 weeks I gave her > w>
> 
> This is part of the [Hance Big Bang](https://hanceomebigbang.tumblr.com), and has been a pleasure writing among these talented folk.
> 
> Of course, you can also check me out on [Tumblr](http://vehicroids.tumblr.com)!!

Humans had their own way of doing things, and to other races it might seem odd. And, really, in some ways they were odd out in the wide universe, but they stuck to what they knew, and what they knew was this: as children, they saw the world as it was, full of color, of wonder, of brightness and shades and rainbows.

As they grew, the color would remain, until they reached adulthood. For most, that was around the age of eighteen years, but there were a few that it took a little longer. Even rarer were the few who lost color sooner, or never had it. But, overall, eighteen or thereabouts was when the color was drained.

Until they found that special person that would complete them, compliment them in every way and bring the colors back to their lives, making everything rich and whole and right again.

Some never found their other halves - their soulmates -some had more than one. Some tried to do everything they could to avoid said soulmates, wanting to control everything as much as they could.

Hunk wasn’t one of those people. He was one who just went with the flow. He’d gone with what Lance wanted to do most of the time back in the Garrison, because that was what best friends did, right? And that hand landed him in a giant blue mechanical cat head, leaving Earth and the Milky Way in general, being launched into a war that had been going for longer than the human race existed if he had his numbers right.

But, war came, and he was the Yellow Paladin. He had to be the leg to help them stand, to keep the other strong and sturdy, so they didn’t fall back on their asses. Time passed, and well, a lot of things had happened so there was no real way to know because ticks and seconds were different, days and vargas and decaphoebes and goodness knew what else. 

What he did know, however, was there were subtle differences he could see in his teammates. Shiro, being the oldest, Hunk had assumed couldn’t see the colors, but he managed well enough. Keith, well, he didn’t know Keith that well, but there were signs as time went on that he had lost his color. Or at least, it seemed that way to him. (Maybe the two of them had a thing going, who knows, Hunk sure didn’t.)

But when time came that Pidge had to ask for help, to know which wire was which color, that was when Hunk knew something was up. He was years, years older, but he still saw everything clearly. Of course, he didn’t comment, just gave the help necessary so that she could keep working, fingers deftly connecting things to one another, but he couldn’t help but wonder…

 

No one else seemed to notice it, notice how things were changing (or not changing), so he pushed it to the back of his mind. Maybe Pidge just lost her color early. Maybe they really hadn’t been gone for so long. Maybe time just felt weird while in space. And besides, there were more important things to worry about.

Like Zarkon, and his Empire, and making sure that the Paladins and their teammates and friends and allies stayed as intact as possible, and hey even Rolo counted in that. But as much as he wanted to keep everyone alive, keep everyone safe, that wasn’t possible. There were losses all around, on all sides of the war.

Because in the end, the war wasn’t just two sides pitted against one another, there were so many other little wars, private wars that would never be recorded in the history books but still important all the same, and friends and foes fell, and people that really, they’d never know for certain what side they were on, but they died and…

Hunk didn’t want anyone to die.

Except for Zarkon. He could die. He was overdue on that by a few millennia.

In the end, however, Zarkon did fall. His reign was over, and this time there was no returning from beyond as he had done before. This time, there was a shot at peace. That is, until Lotor came along. But that was a whole other can of worms, and an even longer story.

And finally, the Paladins could return home, though for how long was debatable. They would always be the Paladins of Voltron, after all, until someone else took up the mantle. That didn’t meant they couldn’t go home and enjoy their families, the knowledge that the fights they had suffered through, the wins, the losses, they had all been worth something. In the end, they had fought for four years.

Four years they had been gone, with their families not knowing, with people presuming they were dead, or worse.

And still, Hunk saw in crystal clear color, vivid reds and purples and yellows. He said nothing, instead smiling along with his team as they drew closer and closer to Earth.

Maybe he was just odd. Maybe.

\--

When Lance talked Hunk into going out with him, all he wanted was to flirt with cute girls. If someone had told him he would end up meeting up with Keith and Shiro and blasting off into a whole other galaxy on a spaceship shaped like a lion, and getting in the middle of a ten thousand year old space war… well, Lance may have thought about it a little more. Did he regret it? Not really. But if he could have made some changes, he would. Maybe he would’ve asked Hunk to stay home, or maybe--

It was too late for maybes, he realised,

Lance found himself lost in space with the paladins, living his dream as a fighter pilot. It wasn’t how he thought things would be. He never thought he would end up this far from home, for who knows how long. He missed home, he missed Earth, and made no secret of it, but he knew this was where he was needed.

Lance tried to keep up with the days, counting how long they had been in space for. It depressed him, but in a strange way, it also gave him hope. The more time crawled on, the sooner they would be home. That thought kept him going. He tracked holidays and birthdays, celebrating most by himself. He didn’t want people to know that he was tracking the days, and thus, even his birthday was spent by himself.

He dreaded the day he turned eighteen; that day marked the end of his childhood, and would be when he lost his colors. It was only approximate - he could have lost them before his eighteenth, or even months after. That didn’t shift the dread in his stomach.

Every morning on the days leading up to his birthday, he woke up, waiting for the day his colors faded. They never did. He was glad, but it just made him think - when would the world finally turn to gray?

According to his calculations, his birthday had finally arrived. The colors were still there, so vivid, as they always were. Lance thought he must have tracked wrong, or his colors would fade in the days and weeks and months to come. But they never faded, no matter how much time passed.

He wondered if he had already met his soulmate, but that felt impossible; surely he would have known. He would have felt different too. Feeling no different between the start of Voltron and now, that theory was tossed. He would figure it out.

Lance theorized instead that it must have had something to do with being in space, or Altean technology. Maybe once they got back to Earth, his universe would fade to grey. Or, even better, he was a rare case, one who would never become colorblind. He didn't ask anyone else; everyone else seemed just find to Lance. Maybe he was wrong about his birthday, and maybe he wasn't eighteen yet. Lance didn't know.

Did aliens have soulmates? He just had to ask Coran. When the response was a confused look, he knew it was a no. It was nice to talk things out with Coran about it, but it brought him no closer to a solution.

Lance knew he should have focused on something better - like the fate of the universe, or the space war they were engaged in - but honestly, he didn't want to think about that ever. In his down time, he could think about whatever he wanted; why would he focus on something so sombre?

Months passed, and Lance ended up losing track of the exact date it should’ve been on Earth. He knew it must have been, what, at least three years? He looked older, felt older, but he didn't act any older. When he got home, he could be a gritty, brooding war hero, and he laughed at the thought. The ladies loved dark and brooding heroes and, hopefully, as would his soulmate. He flexed in the mirror; he may have aged, but he was still scrawny. Man. That was the one part of him he felt like he could never change.

Despite his lacking physique, he was still strong. He could keep up with the team, fighting alongside them. Every fight brought them closer to the end, every mission leading them closer to finally getting home . Every loss was an experience, but as much as he hated losing, he was glad for the experience. Soon, it would be over, and they could go home. It was a mantra he lived by, something that kept him going until the end.

Lance never thought he would see a post-Zarkon universe. Then when it happened, he especially did not expect a post-Lotor universe. Yet, after years of fighting, it was over. Lance felt numbed relief at first, before it actually sunk in. As soon as realisation hit, he was so happy, he could have cried. It was over - they could go home. There only Paladins of Voltron in name, no longer having to worry for every waking moment of every day.

As of now, they were regular people once again. Lance would miss Voltron, but this was for the best. Maybe if the universe needed them again, they would be called upon once more. Hopefully, that day would never come again, as unrealistic as that sounded.

Lance had worried that Earth had been destroyed when the Galra came for the Blue Lion, but he did not voice his concerns. To his relief, his worries were unfounded when they had made contact with home. He wanted to shake everyone, excitement building in his being. He was going to go home, he could see his mom and tell her about what happened. He could catch up on everything he had missed. They were all about to go home.

Lance also knew that this meant he was about to lose his colors, which he was still certain were only visible thanks to Altean technology. It was such a small price to pay compared to going home. Besides, he would find his Future Mrs Blue Lion, somewhere on Earth. It wouldn’t have been long before things would go back to normal.

\--

Lance had never been so glad to see the Arizona desert before in his life. He always thought it dull, dreary. Now, after everything, he cried from relief. He laid his face on the dusty floor, giving a shaky sigh. The rest of the group, understandably, ignored him.

This was home, this was Earth. Who knew dust and sand could feel so freeing? Who knew browns and yellows could be so vibrant? Who knew that even dirt could feel like Heaven? It was funny how, at seventeen, Lance was desperate to get into space. Now, he was weeping at the sight of his old school. Hell, he would even kiss Iverson at this point. Not that he was going to, but he could, because he was  _ home. _

Everything went by in a blur after they landed. Lance didn't care about the serious stuff, it all seemed minor after everything. He didn't care about the defensive system Earth implemented, or the current happenings of the Galaxy Garrison, or any of that diplomatic nonsense. None of that would affect him; technically, he was a dropout, and it wouldn't be his problem. What was his problem, however, was thinking about what he was going to do for the rest of his life.

Wait, no, that was a problem for later.

There was one thing Lance was dreading the most; saying goodbye to everyone. It likely wouldn't be forever - not solely for Voltron reasons, but they had a real connection - but it still sucked. He didn't want to be apart from them, not after years of being together. It felt strange that, after everything, this was it.

He never thought he would end up friends with Keith, especially not with how much of an ass he was. Lance conveniently forgot he usually started the fights, of course. Lance had always wanted to meet Shiro, but he could never dream of working alongside him. He always wanted Pidge to open up a little, but now he knew so much about her. He dreamed of meeting aliens, but didn't think he would go to war with and against aliens.

Hunk was a completely different story. The pair always had their stupid adventures, but nothing like this. Lance always said they would explore space together, he just didn't think they would leave the solar system, nevermind fight in an intergalactic war.

He had watched Hunk grow from a scared teenager, to… a scared adult, who hid it well. Lance was in awe, and to say he was proud of his best friend was an understatement. While he wished he hadn’t dragged Hunk along for the ride, he was also very, very glad to have him by his side. Lance didn't know what he would have done without him.

Thankfully, while Shiro, Keith and Allura were doing diplomatic things, the youngest three were left to their own devices. This meant they weren’t necessary. In short, Lance climbed into his lion and, before anyone could say anything, he shot off. In his time in Red, he had learned how to be a little impulsive, perhaps a little too much so. Not that she minded; she actively encouraged it. He loved his lion. He patted her controls affectionately as he piloted, no longer caring. He had waited far too long to go home, he couldn’t wait another minute.

He felt bad not saying anything to anyone. Or, he did, until he saw Hunk and Pidge had followed suit. He supposed the three of them had families to return to, while Keith, Shiro and the Alteans did not. Lance could have at least said goodbye, but knowing his luck, he would’ve been roped in to do things at the Garrison. Sure, he would have liked to go back, but it just wasn’t his place anymore. He didn’t know where he belonged anymore, not yet. But he had the rest of his life to figure it out.

Lance landed in his family home - of course Red was in stealth mode, not particularly wanting questions or to be shot down by gun nuts - and he breathed the heaviest sigh of relief. He wondered if his mom would even recognise him, how she would react. Hopefully well, and hopefully she wouldn’t be too mad. He took slow steps to the door, savouring the walk up. Lance couldn't believe he had missed something so simple.

He was home, a fact he couldn't stop repeating to himself. He hadn't seen his family in years, and he couldn't wait to just hold them for a little while, maybe even cry a little. No, scratch that, cry a lot. He wondered if Samuel had delivered his message. God, Lance hoped so. Then, at least if they thought him dead, he would have died a hero in their eyes. It was better than just missing, he thought.

Lance fished in his pockets, before realising his house key would have been at the Garrison. Or, that was where he had last left it. Besides, he was in his paladin suit - they were the only clothes that still fit him - so why would he have his keys? He rolled his eyes at himself. He knocked on the door, hoping his mom was in, or his siblings were over, or something. He had a stupid smile on his face as he waited. And waited. And waited.

His smile faded, and he knocked again. Still no answer. Fine, fine. He tried to open the door, and to his surprise, it was unlocked. So, Mom was in, just ignoring the door. He walked in and immediately, he was greeted by the familiar smell and feeling of home. The feeling wrapped around him like a warm blanket, and he felt so cosy. Lance smiled to himself and closed his eyes, taking it all in.

There were photos everywhere; nieces, nephews, cousins. Lance couldn't recognise any of them. How much had he missed? He exhaled softly, grabbing one of the framed photos of his siblings, just the three of them. From the looks of it, it was from Veronica’s twenty first birthday - which would have been a couple of years ago. He couldn't believe he had missed this much.

Did they ever talk about him, or was he just an elephant in the room? He put the photo frame down. His mom was always proud of the children in her family, keeping photos of kids and grandkids everywhere. He wandered off to the fridge, where a picture of Lance was stuck on with magnets. It was the only photo Lance saw of himself in the house, actually. He was a kid, grinning at the camera in his pristine Garrison uniform. He hated that bright orange so much.

It felt like a lifetime ago since he started his Garrison career, since meeting everyone. Back then, he had no idea how significant they were all going to be; even Keith ended up important. He snorted and opened the fridge and looked inside, rifling around for food. There was some cheese, some sliced chicken, some jelly… oh man, there wasn't much. Maybe if he could find bread, he could make a sandwich. He grinned. A sandwich, made of human food and human ingredients. Thank goodness, yes please. Who knew normal food would sound so good?

He closed the door and turned around to hunt for bread, and that was when he heard a squeak of horror. He turned on his heel in time to hear the ruffle of shopping bags, and a thud as they fell to the floor. Lance gasped as he recognised the woman in front of him - his mother. He froze on the spot, as did she. The pair just watched each other in silence for a moment, both unsure what to do.

She was the first to move, approaching slowly, hands over her mouth. He met her halfway and she reached over, her hand cupping his cheek. He leaned into the touch, smiling warmly at her.

“Lance.” Her voice was hushed, disbelieving.

Lance didn’t want to cry, but there was no way he could hold back. He pulled his mom into the tightest hug, burying his face in her hair and her shoulder. He sobbed quietly into her shoulder, hiccuping a little, squeezing his eyes shut. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him just as tightly. She rocked him gently and shushed him, kissing his cheek.

Lance clung to her, as if releasing her would make him wake up on the castle ship again. He took a sniff of her hair, the smell of her perfume, her moisturiser, everything that made her Mom. She never changed, and Lance was so glad.

His mom pulled away, cupping his face and wiping away his tears and ignoring the tears streaming down her own face. She covered Lance’s face in kisses, and he made pathetic protests, like he always did. In truth, Lance was so happy. He laughed softly, sniffling. He knew he missed his mom, but he didn’t realise how badly until she was right here. It was like nothing else mattered.

“I’m home,” he said, scratching the back of his head.

“Four years, and that’s all you can say?” She shoved him gently. “Baby, we thought you were dead.”

Lance went quiet. He thought as much; they did all just sort of disappear in the middle of the night. How could he have told them he was still alive from so far away? Lance couldn’t just go home on a whim, otherwise they all would have gone back a lot sooner. However, this meant his whole family assumed all the paladins, including Lance, had died in space. It was bad enough for his own family, and Hunk’s family, but the Holts risked losing both of their children. Lance had tried not to think about the effect their disappearance had back on Earth, because he knew how upsetting it would have been.

The shock of seeing his mom was a little much, his legs threatening to give way. His mom noticed the wobble in his legs and led him to a chair, the groceries now fully abandoned. She crouched down to his level, brushing too-long bangs out of his face. She tried to smile at him, but the worry was clear. He wasn’t looking forward to the endless barrage of questions.

“What about the other children?” she asked carefully, almost not wanting to ask. “Hunk, and… Katie, was it?”

“We all made it. C’mon, Mom, they had me. When have I ever screwed up?” Lance grinned. Good old humour as a coping mechanism, right? His mother scoffed.

“It’s good to see you haven’t changed.” On the surface, perhaps, Lance didn’t change. Looking around, it felt like everything was different. “You have to tell me everything. From the beginning.”

And Lance did. He told his mom everything he could think of, everything he could remember. How he had met Shiro for the first time because he had seen Keith - the latter being a topic that always made his mom laugh. Lance had complained to his mom enough about his rival for her to know his name by now. He talked about finding Blue, jetting off into a whole other galaxy with his team, Shiro and Keith. And that was when he first made contact with aliens.

Well, technically no. He first made contact when he met Keith, and when he explained to his mom that Keith was part-alien, she was shocked. Meeting Keith made Lance wonder just how many aliens were on Earth, just in disguise. Who knew, maybe even Bigfoot was an alien.

He detailed his adventures as a paladin, from the first time they formed Voltron, up until the very end. He left out no detail, even reminiscing about the time a pretty girl conned him out of his lion. Lance recounted how he became close to Keith, turning into his right-hand after Shiro went missing. And how he had become close to Shiro, too, but that… that was complicated.

By complicated, of course, it turned out Shiro was a big, faking clone. It was still so strange to think about.

Lance showed off his scars, the worst of which he knew how he had gotten, and could give pretty cool stories of. The more minor ones, he shrugged off - he didn’t have any story behind them. His mom poked his arm, noting how he was still skinny. He huffed, embarrassed. Despite his bayard being a sword, he was still about as strong as a wet noodle. Years could change a lot of things, but they couldn’t change that. That annoyed him greatly.

Suddenly, his mom clicked her fingers. “I have to call the family!” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, and turned her attention to the groceries. Just like Lance, she could certainly have a one track mind.

“Don’t worry Mom, I’ve got this,” Lance said, getting up and moving over to the bags. Half of it was likely defrosted by now, but the frozen items kept the chilled stuff cold. At least that worked itself out.

“Look at you, being helpful. Maybe going into space did you some good, hm, Bambi?” she laughed, before turning her attention back to her phone.

If there was one thing Lance did not miss, it was that nickname. When he was a child, he was doe-eyed, small, weak, and constantly at his mother’s feet. Thus, Bambi was born. But Lance wasn’t that child anymore, he was a man, a big, strong man. … Or, he was, to an extent. He still kind of wanted to be babied, just not with that nickname attached to it. His mom wouldn’t baby him, though, not when he was an adult. He huffed at the thought.

While Lance put away groceries, he listened to his mom excitedly call every single family member. He could hear some of them screaming on the other end, and she screamed with them in excitement. Being so loud that one could hear them from the other end of the room with a phone speaker was a talent. Lance had missed the sound of his mom's voice, even when loud, shrill and excited. He piled all the frozen items in a neat pile, then tried to call her attention.

“Mom,” Lance called, “what do I do with the frozen stuff? A lot of it's probably defrosted.”

More yelling from the other end, and Lance needed ice packs for his eardrums. How did they hear him? His mom's face lit up, and held out get phone to him. He took it, confused, and held it to his ear.

“Your grandmother wants to speak to you. I'll do the rest, Bambi,” she said, before rushing off.

Lance gulped. He hadn't spoken to his grandmother in a long time, and she was far more likely to yell at him than his mom was. Of course, the moment he mumbled a ‘hello?’, it was as he predicted.

How could Lance run away from school and worry his mom like that? It didn't matter the reasons he tried to splutter out, she shot down every single one. All these years, and not one phone call to the woman who raised him? What did he have to say for himself? Well, nothing, because every time he opened his mouth, he was silenced.

All Lance could do is stand there and listen. As if he didn't feel bad enough about everything that happened. Lance had a lot of explaining to do for his family, it seemed. He had no idea who knew and who didn't know about Voltron, but they would soon find out. Eventually, after copious amounts of yelling, she calmed down. Lance figured she had yelled it all out by now. He would have rather faced an evil alien than his grandma when she was angry, though.

“Don’t you ever try anything so selfish ever again,” she spat.

“But I didn’t--”

And she was gone. He looked at his mom, who was innocently putting things away, tossing the defrosted items in the trash. She didn't need any help, and now Lance was left feeling a little useless. No use hovering around in the way.

He retreated up to his room, and noticed immediately that everything was exactly where he had left it. Trophies covered thickly in dust, old posters, and a couple of items of clothing dumped on the floor. He had left them there in a rush last time he visited home, he vaguely recalled. His Galaxy Garrison letter sat in a drawer at his desk, and he still remembered crying on his mom when he was accepted. His room seemed so cluttered now, full of evidence of the child he was. It was a mess. He could tidy it up later, but for now, he just wanted to enjoy this for a moment longer.

He wondered what the others would do now, what he would do. Pidge had a bright future ahead of her, as did Hunk. Keith would… well, he didn't know. Likely run off into the sunset happily ever after with Shiro. Or something like that, he didn't really care.

All of them had prospects outside of the Garrison, and Lance was just… he shook his head. There was always something to do. He just needed to find another calling. It couldn't be that hard, right?

Who was he kidding? He was fucked.

\--

Lance began to stagnate a little. After so many years with a clear goal - kill Zarkon, stop civil war, bring peace to the universe - he was a little empty without anything to do. Maybe he could find a job, but who would take Lance? He was technically a high school dropout, whose work experience consisted of shooting aliens and piloting a giant lion. Sure, put that on a resume and the calls would start flooding in. He could go to college but, again, leaving the Garrison didn't exactly make him a good candidate. Plus, he had no money. He had no diploma, no job, nothing. Lance was fucked.

He wondered how Hunk was doing. He was probably having a far better time. Though, that did remind him that they hasn't spoken since going home. At least he had something to fall back on. Lance groaned; why was he such a sad sack? He needed a hobby, but again, the hobbies he had grown to enjoy weren't the best hobbies. And some were impossible on Earth. Man, he couldn't believe he was saying this, but he missed space. If Lance could have it his way, he would still be a paladin, just with the ability to go home whenever he wanted. That would have been perfect.

It had only been a couple of days, and Lance was being a dramatic baby. In other news, water was wet. It was a shame no one around did employment training for people who had unfinished education and had been in space for their late teens. Maybe Lance needed to actually try, but whatever. Being a sad sack was totally working for him.

As Lance turned into a puddle on the couch, bowl of chips delicately balanced on his stomach, he heard a car pull up. Weird, Mom was home. He carefully removed the chips, putting them on the coffee table, before getting up. Please don't be a cold caller or something, Lance had better things to do than to listen to someone try to sell him a vacuum cleaner. Thankfully, at least, he was dressed. He heard a knock on the door, just as he was approaching. Please don't be a salesman, please don't be a--

“Marco?” Lance asked, eyes wide.

A man stood before him, muscular and tall. He grinned down at Lance, hands on his hips. Despite the years, somehow, Marco never changed. He tried to grab Lance in a headlock, which was a bad move on his part. Reflex kicked in, and before either of them knew it, Marco was on the floor, face down. Lance mumbled an apology, extending a hand to help him up. Marco looked up at him, bewildered, before taking his hand and pulling himself up.

“Damn, you really have grown up, huh? The years have been good to you, Bambi,” Marco said, patting his shoulder.

Lance tried hard not to groan at the name. “Hey, you're talking to an intergalactic war hero. You can't pin this guy down anymore,” he grinned, beaming with pride and flexing his non-muscles. Marco laughed at him.

“That so, huh? I think I could still catch you off guard, space hero or not,” Marco punched his arm lightly.

Two kids peeked out from behind Marco’s legs, staring up at Lance in wonder. His daughter, the oldest, must have been around eight by now, if his math was correct. The younger one, a little boy, would have been around five, right? He was alive when Lance was around. He couldn’t remember their names, a realisation that made his mood drop like a lead balloon. He dropped to one knee, shocked.

“Hey guys,” he smiled. “You probably don't remember me.”

Lance did leave when they were tiny. He still remembered holding both of them for the first time. He remembered playing with his niece when she was younger, being silly with her. Unfortunately, he also remembered the loud wailing of his nephew as a baby. The oldest shook her head, while her brother hid behind Marco. Jeez, the scars weren't a flattering look, then.

“I'm Lance. I… I had to go away for a little while,” he explained. When they were older, he would tell them anything. Right now, however, kids didn’t need to know everything. “But I'm back now, and it's great to see you guys again.”

“Lance?” The oldest looked up at her dad, and he nodded with a smile.

With confidence restored, she approached slowly, before throwing her arms around him. Lance laughed, scooping her up as she clamped her legs tightly around his waist. He remembered the last time he picked her up like this, right before he went back to the Garrison after summer vacation. He didn't know just how long the goodbye was back then. It was nice to know Marco thought about him, enough to remind his children that his youngest brother once existed.

“I’m sure you remember Andrea and Teb,” Marco said.

“Course I do!”

He remembered their faces, but not their names. Marco shot him a look of disbelief, rolling his eyes. It wasn’t his fault - it had been so long, and they were so young. As if he didn’t feel bad enough.

Lance looked over Andrea’s shoulder, looking at his brother. “So, what's the occasion, anyway? Did Mom invite you?”

Marco laughed. “She's invited the whole family over.”

“What.” Wait, no, seriously,  _ what _ ? “Why didn't I know about this?!” Lance barked, and Marco ignored him and walked in. He should have expected this.

Lance groaned, carrying his clinging niece inside. He really, really wished his mom would give him more warning, but things never changed. As ever, his mom just did was she wanted with his life. Man, this meant he couldn’t just lie on the couch eating chips. He supposed stagnating on the couch was the worst thing he could have done right now, but that didn’t make her meddling okay.

It wasn’t long after Marco’s arrival that Veronica arrived, with her own child. The moment she laid eyes on Lance, however, she pulled him into a hug, almost crushing his lungs. She rambled excitedly, in a manner not unlike himself, trying to give him a quick rundown on what he had missed. Lance had grown used to ramblers; he was best friends with Hunk, after all. He did his best to keep up, holding her just as tightly.

A while later, Luis turned up, with their grandmother. Lance tried not to pull a face when he saw her, but she caught him, and she immediately had him by the ear. How could he be so rude to her, especially after disappearing for so long? Being away from home didn’t bring him manners, clearly. Luis smirked, before leaving Lance alone to be yelled at. He was as quiet as ever, still with no qualms leaving Lance to the wolves. Luis was an ass.

Lance soon lost track of all the people coming into the house, to the point where he had given up on answering the door and left it open. He had so many people crowding him, talking to him, asking what even happened. It was strange, though. Being with his family was usually one of the best things in the world, but now he just felt empty. A subtle ache crept into his heart; this just didn’t feel right to Lance. He felt like an alien on his own planet.

What the hell was wrong with him lately? He stuffed snacks into his mouth, feeling like shit. Good food usually helped, but right now, it all just tasted like ash. He couldn’t believe he missed weird alien food, but he did. Maybe he could just shoot off in Red, go somewhere. Wait, what was he thinking? All he wanted before was to go home, and now all he wanted was to blast off into space.

He shook his head. Lance just wasn’t used to his family. He needed time to readjust, instead of just giving up all hope immediately. He had seriously turned into a defeatist since getting home, and he would need to get out of this habit. Right, time to get out of his head and back to his family. He turned his attention to one of his older cousins, who was wearing a particularly loud shirt. It was almost difficult not to notice her, really.

“Why is your shirt so… like that?” Lance asked, gesturing to the shirt.

“Huh?” she replied, looking down. “I don’t get it, I think it looks nice.”

“It’s like, green and orange, and really bright. Why would you pick that?” Lance didn’t pretend to be the perfect authority on color and fashion, but even he could tell when something was off. His cousin looked down at her shirt, then back up at Lance, even more confused.

“I don’t understand?” she laughed awkwardly.

Lance stared blankly. “Huh. I mean. If you like it, then, power to you, I guess?”

Weird girl, with her bright colors. He grabbed a drink of soda, before realising what he had just done. He had grown so used to seeing colors as the norm in space that he had forgotten it wasn’t the norm on Earth. And yet, he could still see like nothing had changed. That was strange.

He had to shrug it off. He was just overthinking things, as he always did.

\--

With his family having long gone home, Lance had no reason to get dressed anymore. He hated to say it, but good riddance. He needed a bit of peace, and after going through what he did, he was owed at least that much. He felt deflated constantly, tired, just wanting to stay in bed. Lance helped around the house, if only to avoid getting complained at, before retreating to his bed and curling up. It felt like every day was getting worse and worse for him, and he hated it.

He finally shuffled out of bed to make himself something to eat. Funny - a refrigerator and freezer full of food, and Lance wanted none of it. He dumped a bunch of nuggets on a tray and shoved them in the oven, praying they wouldn’t burn. Man, Hunk would probably disapprove of this, but whatever. He wasn’t there to judge him right now. He could eat all the trash he wanted, thank you very much.

Lance rubbed his face. He needed to get out of this slump  _ now _ , but he can’t just force yourself out of depression with sheer brain power. Could he? Well, sort of - that was part of recovery. He needed to pull himself out of this, sooner rather than later. Speaking of pulling, he managed to pull the nuggets out of the oven without them burning for once. This was officially chef-grade cuisine, he thought with a snort. It was the best he could do.

He sat down at the TV with his plate of nuggets, idly chomping down. Ugh. If not even nuggets cheered Lance up, then there had to he something wrong. Trash TV did nothing for his mood, either. As he ate, a dull ache began to settle into his heart again. At first, Lance barely registered it, but the more he ate, the worse it got. The sensation was concentrated in his heart, burning, and he clutched his chest. A heart attack? No, no, there were no other symptoms. He was overreacting.

His mom came home from work, and Lance groaned. She wasn't going to approve of him eating nuggets, and she was certainly going to pin his stomach ache on that. Well, Lance had been eating nothing but junk since his return, and it was making him a little ill. But then again, so was anything he ate, healthy or not. Even his mom’s cooking, which used to be his favourite thing in the world, did nothing to ease his stomach.

“Mom,” Lance called, “I feel sick.”

She eyed him up suspiciously and frowned. This wasn’t her first time dealing with Lance claiming to be sick, and she had every reason to doubt him, even if he was 21 now. “Why?”

“I feel sick, and I’ve been feeling sick since I got back. Maybe I’m just not adjusting to Earth, I don’t know,” he groaned.

His mom did not stop frowning. She approached and placed a hand on his forehead, humming in disapproval. Well, sure, Lance didn’t look sick, but he sure felt it. A look crossed her face, one Lance couldn’t quite place. Curiosity? Suspicion? It was weird for sure.

Of course. It really should have hit him during the party, but it didn’t register that the time. Lance was hurting. He felt sick. He could see colors. It wasn’t the ship, or the suits, or the lions that allowed him to see color, and nor was he special for being able to see colors still. Well, he was, in a way. Lance had met his soulmate, somehow, somewhere in the universe. He just needed to find out who that soulmate was.

Lance shook his head. “On second thoughts, I’m okay. I probably ate too much.”

He went off upstairs, knowing what he had to do. He needed to talk to Hunk about this. Out of anyone in this universe, Hunk was the one person Lance trusted with everything. He would know where to begin with all of this, because for once, Lance was at a loss.


	2. Chapter 2

There was always something that made Hunk feel at home when he sat in Yellow’s cockpit. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy being in his room on the castleship, or in the kitchen, but here surrounded by his Lion, Hunk felt at home. At peace. And the fact that they were flying over the Earth, moving past mountains and trees and buildings, going back to the home he’d missed so much the entire time they were in space? That only served to make the feeling more right, more true. Honestly, Hunk was so overwhelmed by the waves of green and blue and gold going past, he wanted to cry tears of joy.    
  
But, he wouldn’t. Not yet. Not until he was home and surrounded by his family once more.   
  
“Just a bit longer, Yellow, and we’ll be seeing my parents.” The excitement in his voice was plain, as was the purring feeling he got in return from Yellow, a feeling of warmth and calm and muted joy. “Mom and Dad and everyone else will be so happy to see us, just you wait. Just, y’know, remember that Earth doesn’t know about Voltron yet. They might, uh, be scared of you, girl, but we’ll get that fixed in no time. Just like a quick tuneup, that’s all they’ll need.”   
  
They were out over open water now, leaving the continent behind them as they moved towards the island Hunk had called home before going to the Garrison. Yellow could move faster than anything Earth had, but they had to be careful. There were planes flying about, and he didn’t want to cause an accident. That was not how one should return home, after all. Still, it was only a matter of minutes before home was in view, and…

Hunk didn’t even try to hold back the tears, seeing the sand on the beach, the trees and grass and everything else he’d long thought gone to him. Wiping at his face, he moved Yellow into a descent, making sure to make the landing as smooth as possible just outside his family home.   
  
“Okay, everything will be fine, it’ll be good, okay yeah, just, gimme a moment, Yellow.”

Hunk could feel the amusement radiating down the bond the pair shared, though he didn’t comment on it. He knew he was being silly, that he was worrying too much, but there was nothing for it. With a gentle nudge from Yellow, he finally got up from his seat, running his fingers through his hair before stepping out onto the ground.   
  
Home. He was home. Much as he wanted to fall to his knees in his armor and kiss the ground, there were more important matters. He could do that later. Later, he promised himself. But for now, he needed to get to the door, get to his parents, his family, reassure them that yes, he was alive and well and home. Now, as long as they were home, everything would be fine.   
  
Ground crunching lightly beneath his feet between the sand and other things, Hunk moved to the door quickly and knocked. There was a moment of quiet before he lifted his hand to knock again -- this time getting a response, hearing movement and words uttered too low to be understood, but loud enough that his heart swelled. He’d recognize that voice anywhere. ‘Mom…!’   
  
The door opened and revealed a tiny woman, hardly any taller than Pidge herself, looking up at him with narrowed eyes before recognition flickered. “...Hawea? Is it -- is it really you?”   
  
“Yeah, Mom. It’s really me. I’m home.”   
  
Thus started the first of many tearful reunions for Hunk. He wasn’t entirely certain where one hug ended and the next began, it was as if family had come from all over the island to see him once he let his mother go to begin spreading the word. Outside, Yellow sat tall and proud as she typically did -- only softened by the fact that there were children crawling onto her paws and sitting there, fascinated by the big mechanical feline. It was everything he could have ever dreamed of and more.   
  
But...if that was the case, why did it feel as if something was missing?   
  
__   
  
The first day was filled with fun and rejoicing, with aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents all coming over to see the return of the youngest son of the Garrett family. People were in and out, giving him a slap on the back, bringing and sharing food and drink, and catching Hunk up on everything that he had missed. That night...that night was for Hunk and his parents, for him to do his best to explain everything that had happened since he left the Garrison -- since he left Earth.   
  
His parents both had gone to the Garrison in their younger years, and were retired now -- had retired not long before Hunk started. Thus, while they hadn’t known much about how war was, there was still an understanding there in their gazes. Understanding, pride, and an overlying sadness that their son had been forced to grow up much too soon, without them to help the last four years. He shared with them the good and the bad, how he had helped Shay and the Balmerans, how Coran had had the slipperies, Keith’s status as half-human, the allies they had made, the friends they had lost, and the Empire they helped to restore.    
  
“Yes, Mom, I know an Emperor and a Princess, pretty neat yeah?” He laughed, because it was laugh or cry and there had been tears enough that day.   
  
“My son, acquainted with an Emperor. Never thought I’d see the day!” Talia Garrett laughed, making a bit more of a fuss than necessary, but it was only natural. Her son was home, he was safe, and he’d done so much out there in the world. So much!   
  
“Yeah, it’s great. I’m sure you can meet Allura at some point if you want, too. She’s with Shiro and Keith doing diplomatic things with the Garrison, trying to introduce them to like, the concept that yeah, there’s aliens out there, but they’re not all bad. They’re not all like Zarkon.” Hunk leaned back, feeling comfortable in the chair, wearing some of his old clothing. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but...it was better than staying in his armor all night.   
  
“So you’re gonna be staying here now, right? You don’t have to go back into space and fight anymore?” Talia leaned forward, her gaze almost piercing as she stared at her son. She was small -- both shorter and much thinner than her husband and son -- but that didn’t take away from just how intimidating she could be.   
  
It took Hunk a long moment before he could really answer. “I don’t know, Mom. I mean, right now we’re definitely staying here. But...if the universe needs Voltron again, I can’t ignore it. Zarkon is gone, the Galra Empire is in good hands with Lotor, but there’s always something else brewing, something else that could happen. Still...I don’t wager it’ll be any time soon. Pidge and Lance and me all have catching up to do, after all,” he laughed, this time much softer, before taking a breath. “So I really can’t promise that. But, I’m here for the foreseeable future.”   
  
“Alright, son. That’s all we can reasonably ask for,” Herschel, Hunk’s father, responded, his voice low but proud. “Just try to give us some warning next time, yeah?”   
  
“Yeah, I can do that, Dad. And I’ll see if I can get like, Pidge and Lance’s family’s numbers for you so you guys can all keep in touch, too. That way like...it won’t be bad.”   
  
“It will be bad, but, having support is always good,” Talia corrected with a smile. “But I think we’ve heard enough for one night. It’s time we went to bed. Rest up, we’ve got a big day tomorrow.”   
  
Hunk blinked, watching as his parents both stood, slowly making their way to their bedroom. “What? What’s happening tomorrow?”   
  
“We’re getting you properly fitting clothing. If you’re going to be a responsible member of society, you need clothes that don’t look like you’re about to turn into the Hulk.”   
  
Suddenly, Hunk wasn’t so sure he was ready to be home after all.   
  
____   
  
Things weren’t perfect for Hunk after that -- but they weren’t really all that bad, either. He had clothing that fit him properly, he still had Yellow, but now he had a lot of  thinking that needed to be done. His parents, well meaning as they were, were already breathing down his neck about finding work, finding something to do with himself all day aside from soaking up the sun and going to the beach. He helped his mom with the cooking, helped his dad around the house, helped fix various vehicles that were in minor disrepair for his brothers’ families, but none of that was anything more than taking up time -- time that he’d been spending training or fighting or keeping the peace.   
  
Each day he fell into his bed, feeling a growing sense of restlessness, of emptiness, of growing pain. He hadn’t put any thought into it at first -- because well, everyone else had been perfectly normal, no one acted different, so nothing could’ve happened to Hunk while they were gone, right?

Hunk couldn't put his finger on it. He was fine, he wasn't getting ill - he never got sick - but there was something that felt off. Something was missing, something he could not explain. He laid back against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. He wished he could figure this out. He wasn’t given a lot of time to himself, not with his parents constantly on his case. Hunk needed a moment--

His phone pinged, and he ignored it. Not now. And then it pinged again and again - nope, he couldn't ignore it. He knew who it was going to be already.

‘ _ hunk _

_ buddy _

_ dude  _

_ i just realised something important _

_ talk to me before I actually die? _ ’

Hunk rolled his eyes, sitting up.

‘ _ Deep breaths, Lance. Calm down and tell me. _ ’

Hunk prepared himself for the inevitable barrage of texts from Lance. In person, his ramblings were kind of charming. In text form? Less so. He could have gone for a shower in the time it took Lance to finish his thought.

‘so since we've come back i've felt awful, right? and i thought, well maybe it's just from being in space? maybe mom's cooking isn't so good for my stomach after uhhh 200 years

but no, i don't think it's that’

Hunk shifted on his bed. That was weird - he was feeling exactly the same. If it wasn’t Earth’s atmosphere fucking with them, then… 

‘ _ Then what is it? _ ’

‘ _ i can see colors. i’m over 18, i shouldn't be able to see them _

_ i thought altean technology let me see them but _

_ it's been a little while since we've been at home. i feel sick and empty _

_ buddy. i think it happened. somewhere in space, i met my soulmate _ ’

Hunk froze. He hadn't even considered this an option. A soulmate. Well, sure, maybe Lance had found his, but that didn’t mean the same for Hunk. He said nothing, refusing to interject. Let Lance talk it out to himself, as he usually did.

‘ _ do you think she'll be pretty? _ ’

Hunk could almost hear the lovestruck sigh in his text. He laughed, tapping out a reply.

‘ _ Pretty bold of you to assume it's a girl _ .’

‘ _ i bet it's allura _ ’ accompanied by a thousand heart emojis. So Lance wasn't listening.

‘ _ It could be Shiro _ .’

‘ _ Pffffffffft yeah right. _

_ Like you could get Shiro to stop looking at Keith for 5 seconds _

_ Those two are a private _ room away from getting it on’

Hunk laughed; his text reeked of jealousy. He never did like that Keith was close to Shiro.

‘ _ So you definitely think it's Allura? _ ’

‘ _ no doubt. i mean it's not gonna be you, right? _

_ you've lost your colors _ ’

He gulped. Hunk didn't know if he should have said something. Knowing Lance, if Hunk said anything, he would’ve been dragged across the galaxy with him to find whoever their other halves were. Either that, or Lance would try to claim they were no-homo soulmates. Time to take a chance.

‘ _ No. I can still see them _ .’

‘ _ :OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO _ ’

And now Hunk was nothing but regret. He rubbed his face with a sigh, just waiting for whatever grand scheme Lance had planned.

‘ _ dude okay okay holy _

_ okay  _

_ we need to meet up now right now to talk about this _ ’

Trust Lance to be impatient about this. Even as an adult, his patience was thin. They were just lucky they had the lions they could just sneak off in whenever. Sure, they weren't supposed to, but whatever. What no one else knew wouldn't hurt, right? Wouldn't be the first time someone used a lion selfishly.

‘ _ Where? _ ’

‘ _ ahah oh man we could meet up literally anywhere on earth _

_ isn't that wild?? _

_ oh I'm getting off track oops _

_ uhh you could just come here? _ ’

‘ _ When?’ _

_ ‘so do you not know what now right now means or _ ’

Patience was never Lance's strong suit, and especially not now. In a lion, it wouldn't have taken long to get there. Plus, unlike public transport, it was free. Hunk was pretty sure it was eco-friendly - the lions didn’t use fossil fuels. Yes, he was trying to justify stealing Yellow to himself. He didn't really want to get into trouble but, well… He was a war hero, not to toot his own horn. If he wanted to use his spaceship to go see Lance, he would.

Lance was freaking out. Not that freaking out was anything new, but that didn't ease his suffering. So he had a soulmate. So she may have been somewhere in space. So what? It was fine. He was totally fine. And Hunk also had a soulmate. It was fun how coincidences worked, wasn't it? They could look for their other halves together.

He warned his mom that he had invited a friend over. Of course, when something flew towards the house, that did not stop his mother from screaming. After telling her all kinds of stories about aliens coming to Earth, it’s a natural reaction. Lance didn't even react until he realised that she wouldn't be used to this. Right, adjusting to what was and wasn't normal was hard. He assured her it was okay, and ushered her back into the house. Of course it was okay, it was just Hunk.

Unless someone had taken Yellow. A possibility, but he didn’t think so.

The familiar yellow lion parked up, and out came Hunk. With a big smile, Lance ran over to him, throwing himself into his arms. Hunk groaned, huffing a laugh as he held Lance tightly. Lance sighed, content, relaxing in his arms. Being at his house with Hunk felt more like home than anything else ever did. He could stand here forever with him. Lance pulled himself away, laughing, scratching the back of his head.

****

“Have any troubles getting here?” Lance asked.

“Oh yeah, the traffic was terrible,” Hunk laughed. “I saw an airplane and all the passengers had their faces pressed against the window. I felt pretty good about that.”

“I'm pretty sure that's because you're in a giant robot, and not for anything else.” Lance frowned. “You didn't put it in stealth mode?”

“Well, I-- no,” Hunk mumbled.

Hunk looked up at Yellow. Guess Hunk was a little silly - he should've thought of that. It wasn't like the paladins were some big secret, but he still needed to be more careful. Lance turned away, walking back towards the house.

“Come on, let's get something to eat and we can talk.”

Lance couldn't ignore the feeling in his stomach - or really, lack thereof. He hadn't felt this right since Voltron, and it almost felt like he was back to normal. He figured it was kind of like depression, in that just because he was happy, it didn't mean he was okay. He shrugged it off, moving into the house and rifling through the fridge.

“Oh no. No no no, you're not cooking,” Hunk laughed, taking the ingredients from Lance. “I love you, and you're my best friend, so I'm telling you this in the nicest way. You can't even fry an egg.”

“What's wrong with my fried eggs?”

“Nothing, except the fact you kept burning them into frying pans.”

Lance wanted to argue, but he sighed, defeated. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching Hunk cook. This was the guy who made even food goo taste nice - Lance couldn't wait to eat his regular people food again. After being in space, he couldn't tell what was better, his mom's food or Hunk’s. He would never tell his mother that this was even a contest.

Hunk was content to cook; it was his happy place. He felt at peace chopping up vegetables for an omelette, humming along to the music in his head. He had almost forgotten the emptiness he had felt. Somehow, Lance just made everything better. He looked over at him with a small smile. He was glad to have someone like him in his life.

He finished cooking, placing the plates on the kitchen table. Lance went straight to eating, looking so pleased with just the first bite. That was the biggest compliment to Hunk. He ate slower, watching Lance eat with an amused smile. Lance ate as if he had never even seen food before, and Hunk almost expected him to eat the plate, too.

“Sorry,” Lance mumbled, swallowing his mouthful. “I haven't been hungry in days, so now that I finally wanna eat, my body is trying to make up for it.”

Hunk frowned. “Have you been okay, man?”

“Yeah, I mean, it's been a weird week or so. Seeing you made me feel better, I guess.”

Hunk wanted to press further, but he didn't. He finished his omelette in silence, knowing that if Lance had more to say, he would say it. Honestly, Lance could ramble as an Olympic sport and he would get the gold. Hunk chuckled at his own joke.

Lance tilted his head when Hunk laughed, but he shrugged it off. He finished his food, putting his plate in the sink. Oh, right, he would need to do the dishes - they weren't gonna do themselves. He turned the hot water on, adding in soap. As soon as Hunk was done, his plate joined the pile in the sink.

“You scared my mom, you know,” Lance laughed. “She thought the aliens were coming for me.”

“Well, I'm not an alien. At least, I hope not? I guess you just don't know til you know,” Hunk said.

“I'm so used to aliens now that humans are just weird to me. I feel like an alien that crash landed on Earth.”

Lance looked down at the sink full of water, elbow deep in it. Even something as simple as doing dishes was so strange; there was technology to do all that in space. Lance had missed the simplicity of human life, but now that he was here, he was completely lost. He shook his head.

“Bet that's nuts, huh? I wanted to go home so much, but now it's just…” Lance sighed, chewing his cheek.

Hunk could understand. He missed home, he was glad to be back. But it wasn't space. It wasn't like fighting bad guys, constantly on the defence. It was safe, too safe, and maybe Hunk was a little unsettled. He should have been happy to be home, and he was happy. Not as happy as he should have been, though.

“It's not how you thought it would be?” Hunk asked. “I get that. I just feel empty, you know? Like-- like something is missing.”

Lance nodded. “I know, right?” He finished the plate he was washing, putting it on the drainer. “I don't even think it's a missing soulmate. Or, at least, not just that.”

“Maybe we're just meant for space.”

Lance dropped the sponge, turning on his heel to face Hunk. He grabbed both his hands in his, not caring how wet his hands were. He beamed up at Hunk, who looked down at him in confusion.

“That's it! Run away to space with me!” Lance squeezed his hands tightly. “We can find our soulmates again, and if the guys need us, they can call us through our lions.”

Hunk laughed. Lance clearly hadn't thought it through, but it was sweet nonetheless. He released Lance's hands, wiping his own hands on his pants.

“Alright buddy, let's dial it back,” he said. “We can't just take the lions out to space whenever we want.”

“Pfft, no fun,” Lance huffed, back to the bowl. “But we seriously need to figure this one out, man.”

Hunk would follow Lance no matter what, but going into space to find their soulmates? Where would they even start? Lance was just being Lance; he would soon forget this idea. There was no way they would go through with it.

Lance finished with the dishes, and he turned around with a big smile on his face. Hunk never trusted that smile. He had something up his sleeve, and Hunk already wanted to say no way. Lance leaned back against the sink, the smile only growing wider.

“So, what now?” he asked. “Wait. How long are you here for? I mean, it doesn't matter, you can get here in seconds, I'm just wondering.”

“Uh…” Hunk scratched the back of his head. “It's not like I have a curfew? So I can leave in the evening or something.”

Lance perked up. “Awesome! We have plenty of time to hang out.”

Thank God, Lance had already forgotten his idea. Instead, he gave Hunk a tour of his house - it was weird that, after years of friendship, he had never been here. He excitedly chattered about his siblings and other family members, and Hunk smiled. His love for his family was always charming. He had so many relatives that Hunk couldn't keep up.

Eventually they reached Lance's room, and it was exactly what Hunk expected. Lance sat him down on the bed and threw a controller at him, and Hunk frowned. He couldn't remember the last time he played video games. Even when Pidge and Lance had that console, he never touched it - it was never his thing. Still, Lance was excited, and Hunk wasn't going to dump on his parade.

Lance was just happy to be hanging out with Hunk again. It felt like too long since they had done something together. Sure, Voltron counts, but it wasn't just them, and it wasn't for fun. Lance had his own things, and Hunk had his own things as well. Now that they were at home, they could relax, they could just be them and have fun. Of course, this wasn’t like the Garrison. They couldn’t sneak out now like they could back then. So this left them with one option - playing video games.

He knew Hunk wasn’t big on video games - some gave him motion sickness - but he also knew this was the only thing he had right now that they could do. He supposed they could go for a walk, go and get ice cream… why didn’t he think of this sooner? Wait, why did all of his ideas involve food? He shook his head.

“We could go for a walk, get some ice cream. You know, something that came from an Earth cow,” Lance laughed. “And that sounds almost like a date, doesn’t it?”

Hunk looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Weren’t you on about finding your soulmate about an hour ago?”

“I can search for my soulmate while getting ice cream,” he hummed. “Besides, I don’t feel awful right now, and I know you don’t like video games. I wanna make the most of not feeling awful.”

Hunk relented, nodding. But he couldn’t help but dwell on what Lance said; he felt okay too. It just seemed so strange how they both felt awful, but suddenly he was fine, too. Hunk shook his head, shaking off the thought. He was dwelling on the wrong things.

The pair left the house, and Hunk watched Lance out of the corner of his eye. He was smiling to himself, hands stuffed in his pockets. Kinda cute. He caught his thought with a frown - cute? Cute like a puppy, or cute like-- Hunk looked away quickly. He wasn’t going to think about even the slightest chance with Lance. One, Lance was straight, and two, they both had soulmates. Breaking fate was oddly romantic, he thought.

Hunk needed to focus.

He took a deep breath, focusing on the path ahead instead. Hunk had completely lost his head since coming back home, and he didn’t know why. He could make all the excuses in the world, but he knew he needed to pull himself together. He sighed softly.

“You doing okay, man?” Lance asked, bumping into him affectionately.

“Huh? Oh yeah, fine, I’m fine.” Hunk said.

“You look a little lost in there.” Lance poked his head, accentuating his point.

Hunk batted his hand away, laughing a little. “Yeah, you know how it is.”

That Lance did. He didn’t know what Hunk was thinking about exactly - their past, their current situation, what their future may hold - but he knew how it felt. Space was way simpler, it was just point and shoot. He frowned at himself, holding his neck. Maybe being in space had screwed him up more than he thought it did. They had been through so much, it was only natural to be a little messed up.

The rest of their walk to the ice cream place was uneventful, but when one was used to eventful things constantly, it was a welcome break. Lance didn’t realise how much he missed the boring, not until he was walking down the street with his best friend. He smiled up at Hunk momentarily - he was glad to have him every step of the way.

“You know, I never asked. What do you think your soulmate will be like?” Lance asked.

That gave Hunk pause. He hadn’t really thought about it, not until Lance pushed the idea on him. Even still, he didn’t really think about it. He was going with the flow, as he always did.

“I don’t know,” Hunk shrugged, looking up at the sky. “I hope they’re nice. I’d hate to be paired up with some ass forever.”

“Yeah. Imagine being stuck with Lotor, or Zarkon.”

Hunk groaned, and Lance laughed. Who would want to be stuck with evil space emperors? Though it did make Lance wonder what would happen if one’s soulmate died, if they would die of heartbreak or just be eternally miserable. He frowned, pushing the thought to the back of his head. He didn’t want to think about his other half being dead, no matter how possible it was.

“Do you think you'll have more than one?” Lance asked, distracting himself.

“I don't know. I don't even know how I'll handle one,” Hunk said with a shrug.

They got their ice cream and made their way back to Lance’s house, taking the long way. Lance wanted to milk their time together for as long as possible. It was easy to meet up, but they wouldn't always have the time to goof off like this anymore.Simply having Hunk around made Lance feel like things were normal, especially when he no longer had any idea what normal was. And if he wanted to make the most of the time he had, he would.

They arrived back at the McClain residence, and upon checking the time, Hunk grimaced. He may not have had a curfew, but he still had things he needed to do.

“Guess I should get going,” Hunk said.

Lance nodded, but before he could go, he threw himself at Hunk. He held his arms tightly around Hunk’s shoulders, hugging him enough to make him choke. Lance loosened his grip, and Hunk huffed a laugh, holding him tightly. Just like that, Lance felt at home again. He closed his eyes, taking in the moment. He was going to miss Hunk again, he knew. Next time, maybe Lance could go over to Hunk’s.

“I’ll see you again soon, man, I promise,” Lance mumbled.

Hunk sighed softly, face in Lance’s shoulder. “Yeah, I know. Just-- let’s not leave it too long again, yeah?”

Hunk couldn’t explain the sadness he felt in his heart. He knew it was because he was going to miss Lance, but there was something more to it. He rubbed Lance’s back, not wanting to let go. He knew if he didn’t go home soon, his mom would rip into him. That didn't make him want to go back any time soon. Hunk had so much to do that he neglected to do, purely for Lance.

Huh. Sounded almost identical to their Garrison days.

“Promise. Just get home safely, Hunk.”

“I will.”

Lance watched Hunk get back into Yellow, and watched him fly off. He watched the lion disappear quickly into the distance, a small snile on his face. Immediately after the lion fell out of view, Lance threw up, doubled over. Shit. Maybe the omelette was bad, and it had only just caught up to him. Whatever it was, Lance felt absolutely awful.

\--

As predicted, Hunk was in trouble for taking off without warning. Again. But the first time wasn’t his fault, and this time was… still not his fault. Man, Lance just loved dragging him into trouble. Hunk took his telling off, as he always did, and did the chores he was supposed to do.

He couldn't deny the feeling that overcame him again. That feeling had crept back up again, and now Hunk just felt empty. His days just felt stale, like he was going through the motions. He couldn’t explain it. He didn’t let on to anyone that he felt like this, just kept on smiling. He hoped his family wouldn’t catch on that something was wrong - the best thing about the time apart was his family was slower to catch on when things were wrong. Hunk didn't want anyone to worry about him.

Hunk kept himself busy, trying to fill a void, but it felt bottomless. No matter what he threw at it, nothing filled it. He sighed. Not even cooking felt right, even when he made dish after dish. Hunk threw himself into engineering again, but human technology now felt so basic. Altean technology made everything else just look like a child’s playset. Hunk was bored, and he had no idea how to fix it.

A part of him told him to just go and hang out with Lance, but he couldn’t just go bug him because he was bored. Lance had his own stuff to do without getting bugged by Hunk. That didn’t make him want to pester Lance any less, though. Thankfully, his prayers were solved as his phone buzzed beside him.

‘ _ huuuuuuuuuuunk :( _

_ buddy _

_ i’m dying _ ’

Hunk rolled his eyes. He’d clearly done something stupid again, and wanted Hunk to help him, again.

‘ _ What did you do this time? _ ’

‘ _ i think you fed me bad eggs _

_ because i have been non stop puking for 24 hours _ ’

The text was accompanied by a near-obnoxious amount of sarcastic party popper emojis. Lance just needed to fix his diet; it had nothing to do with Hunk.

‘ _ Lance, quit drinking dairy for 48 hours. That should do the trick. _ ’

‘ _ hm what’s that? can’t hear you over the sound of me absolutely chugging this carton of milk _

_ haha but seriously _

_ i’m dying please save me _ ’

He clearly wasn’t sick enough to knock out the sarcasm. Lance was probably fine, but any excuse to go and see him. Hunk sighed. He was hopeless - of course he’d come over.

‘ _ Want me to come over? _ ’

‘ _ wow it really took you thaaaat long to figure it out? _

_ yes!! nurse me back to health :( _ ‘

Hunk laughed, slipping on his shoes. He let his mom know he was going out - something she appreciated. Of course Hunk took Yellow to Lance’s, but this time, he didn’t bother with excuses. She was his lion, dammit, and he would take her wherever he wanted.

He arrived at Lance’s home without fuss, and Lance’s mom let him in. He immediately made his way upstairs, gently rapping on Lance’s bedroom door. Hunk received a grunt in response, and he thought that was permission enough. He walked in and saw Lance curled in on himself in his bed, shivering. Hunk closed the door behind him softly.

“Hey,” he said, “want me to get you anything?”

“A new stomach?” Lance laughed. “But seriously, I can’t hold anything down. There’s no point.”

Hunk sat down with him, touching Lance’s forehead. He didn’t feel hot, but he did feel clammy. He moved his hand, wiping it on the sheets, and Lance laughed. He curled in harder on himself, groaning, eyes shut.

“Okay, I’m gonna get you some water, and you’re gonna drink it slowly. You’re sweaty, and it’s gross, Lance,” Hunk said.

Lance didn’t argue this time. He made a grunt, and rolled over. Hunk laughed softly, patting his shoulder, and leaving the room. Lance just clearly wasn’t meant for regular human life anymore - he had never felt this awful in his life. He needed a supply of food goo, or food from other planets, or something. Clearly, food from Earth was the cause of everything right now.

Lance and Hunk really should have just ran off to space together.

Hunk grabbed a glass from the cupboard, filling it with water. He was content, humming to himself as the glass filled. He heard footsteps behind him, and he saw Lance’s mother peeking from from the doorframe. She looked at him in concern, brows furrowed and a frown on her lips. Hunk offered her a smile, but she didn’t smile back.

“How is he?” she asked.

“He’s fine, he’s just being a baby,” Hunk laughed. “You know how Lance is.”

Her frown still did not disappear. “He was throwing up all night and all morning.”

Hunk paused, closing the tap. Lance was only getting worse - they both were. Something wasn’t right.

“Well, it’s an adjustment getting back to Earth, so his stomach’s gonna be out of whack,” Hunk said, scratching the back of his head.

But that didn’t explain why Hunk was physically fine - at least, his stomach was okay. Unless he now had a goat’s stomach, or something like that. Lance’s mother shook her head, folding her arms over his chest. She shot him a look of ‘tell me the truth’, and Hunk grimaced.

“Lance thinks he found his soulmate,” he blurted out - he was always weak for the look mothers gave.

Her eyes widened, mouth hanging open. She blinked slowly at Hunk, before a smile crept on her face. Hunk tilted his head, confused. She had that same look in Lance’s eyes that he did when he had a plan that Hunk knew he would hate.

“That makes a lot more sense,” she said, eyeing up Hunk.

“Uh-- what does? Lance being sick?” Hunk asked.

“Well yes, that and…” Her smile widened, as if realising something. “You should get Lance his water, I don’t know when he last drank.”

Hunk looked down at the glass, remembering its existence. “Oh, right, yeah.  Thanks.”

He made his way back upstairs, where Lance was finally sitting up, propped up against his pillows. That had to be good, right? He was idly surfing on his phone, though with the look on his face, Lance probably wasn’t taking any of it in. He glanced up at Hunk and smiled at him. Hunk put the glass on Lance’s bedside table, and sat at the foot of his bed.

“Thanks, nurse,” Lance joked. “But, seriously man. Thanks for coming over. I mean, I could’ve just asked my mom, but… I don’t know. I just wanted you. That sounds bad, I know. After everything, I should wanna spend more time with Mom. I don’t know, maybe she’s been suffocating me?”

_ I just wanted you _ . Those words echoed in Hunk’s mind like metal piping clunking on hard flooring. He put his hand on Lance’s knee, who reached over for his glass for small sips of water. Hunk sighed in relief - he was finally drinking.

Lance’s stomach was a little better, he realised. Though, he probably shouldn’t have risked it with the water. He would soon be sick all over again, and then he still wouldn’t drink. To his surprise, however, the water did not try to come back up. Lance shuffled, putting his head on Hunk’s thigh - much better.

“Seriously, man, I owe you one. You’ve always been there for me, a lot of the time without even me asking.” Lance looked up at Hunk. “Even with the Voltron stuff, I never asked you to drop everything to come with me.”

“And you didn’t have to,” Hunk said, putting a hand on his hair and stroking gently. “I mean, it’s not like I had a choice that time, but you know.”

“I know. You’re such a great guy, you know? And I still feel bad that I dragged you with me that night.”

Hunk sighed. “Don’t be. I’d be pissed off if I found out you’d left me behind.”

Lance chuckled softly, making himself comfortable. He closed his eyes, at peace. Hunk scraped his nails gently on his scalp, and Lance hummed, a wide smile on his face. He had never felt so safe with anyone, so happy and so comfortable. Man, if Lance didn’t know any better, he would think Hunk was the one.

Lance glanced up at him again, and smiled. This was his best friend; a sweet, funny, and smart guy. He had a big heart, and big arms to hold someone with. Lance did always love his hugs. He loved being with Hunk.

He loved Hunk.

The realisation slapped him in the face, and he wanted to keel over and die. This couldn’t have been happening to him. This was the worst time for Lance to realise he might have - no, definitely had - feelings for Hunk. He expected his stomach to turn, he expected to need to be sick. But he wasn’t. His stomach had never been more settled in his life, and Lance was screwed.

“You okay, buddy?” Hunk asked, bursting him from his thoughts. “You look like you’ve seen the secrets of the universe.”

Lance swallowed, nodding. “Yeah, I’m just feeling better. Feels good to be okay, you know?”

Hunk didn’t buy that was the sole reason, not for one second. He knew when Lance was full of shit and when he didn’t want to talk, and this was just one of those times. He was probably thinking about the future again and didn’t want to admit it. It was natural to worry - hell, Hunk was the king of worrying about nothing. He just wished Lance would share the worst with him, instead of just keeping it to himself. Or, apparently, to space mice.

He kept playing with Lance’s hair, losing himself in thought once again. At least Lance’s stomach had settled. He seemed to relax again, closing his eyes. Maybe he was going to sleep; it wouldn’t have been the first time Lance used Hunk as a pillow. It was nice to see him comfortable and happy.

While Hunk was sitting there, he realised he wouldn’t want to do this for anyone else. Well, he would, but he wouldn’t drop everything like he would for Lance. He would have done anything for this guy, whose head was in his lap as he snored softly. Hunk smiled warmly down at him. Lance was so cute when asleep, even if he was kind of drooling on his leg. He would have been content just doing this forever.

When realisation hit him, Hunk could have laughed. Of course it was obvious what was going on here - why Lance was fine, why Hunk felt happy with him. It was obvious to everyone but them. Hunk and Lance were soulmates. He shook his head, scoffing. It took them him this long to figure it out, while Lance had likely figured it out already by now.

Lance woke up, and he realised his stomach ache had completely subsided. In fact, he felt better than he had ever done. He rubbed the heel of his hand against his eye, groaning. He blinked slowly, understanding his surroundings. He was lying on his bed, head against Hunk’s thigh. He had no idea how long he was asleep for, but all he knew what he was groggy as hell.

“Good morning,” Hunk laughed.

“Ugh… what time is it?” Lance asked, reaching for his phone.

“Almost six. You’ve been asleep for about an hour, Lance.” Hunk patted his head softly. “Feeling any better?”

Lance sat up, his neck and back feeling awful after lying awkwardly. “... you know what? Yeah. That was the best sleep I’ve had since getting home. Maybe you should be my pillow forever.”

Lance laughed, but he did mean that. He wanted to just lie down on Hunk and fall asleep on him for as long as he could. It wasn’t new, he’d fallen asleep on Hunk a thousand times before. Now, however, it wasn’t the Garrison or Voltron. They had their own lives to lead, their own things to do. Eventually, they would chase their own romances, their own destinies.

Nuts to destiny.

He laid down again, head on his pillows and legs on Hunk’s lap. He looked over at him, chewing his lip. Lance didn’t know how to approach the topic of liking another man. He knew Hunk wasn’t straight - he had mentioned it in passing before - but this was completely new to Lance.

“Hey, Hunk?” Lance asked. “You ever think that, I dunno, you don’t have to follow this idea of soulmates?”

Hunk laughed, confused. “What? You were all over the idea of a soulmate not long ago.”

“I… yeah. But, you know, people can change.”

“In a week?” Hunk raised an eyebrow. “Or even less than that?”

Lance held his hands over his face, groaning, clearly exasperated. “I-- yeah. Things change, Hunk.”

Hunk frowned. It was as he thought; Lance had figured it out, and was trying to reject him politely. Hunk didn’t know what to say. He folded his hands in his lap, switching between staring at them and glancing over at Lance.

“Soulmates don’t have to be romantic,” Hunk said.

He didn’t want to lose Lance. It didn’t matter if Hunk couldn’t date him, he just didn’t want to lose Lance as his best friend. Lance frowned at him, holding his hands behind his head.

“I don’t know about that,” Lance sighed. “You don’t hear about planatonic soulmates.”

Hunk couldn’t help but laugh - trust Lance to screw up such a basic word. That didn’t make Lance smile, though. He stared up at the ceiling.

“I just… no, it’s stupid.”

Hunk put his hands on Lance’s knee. “You can tell me anything.”

Anything. Lance snorted, elbows pressed against the side of his face. He didn’t want to talk about it. Hell, he barely even wanted to think about it. He was so excited about being able to meet the person he was meant to spend forever with, and now he was full of doubt.

“Is it bad that I don’t  _ want  _ my soulmate? Like, whoever they are. I don’t think they’ll match what I’m looking for in a g--” Lance cleared his throat, catching himself. “ _ Person _ . I don’t wanna end up with them getting attached to me, and I’m just thinking about someone else. They can’t be that special if I don’t even think about them.”

Hunk looked over at him, disappointment painted all over his face. “You don’t?”

“No.” Not as much as he thought about Hunk. “And you’d think I’d know by now, right? Like some kind of rush of feelings when we met.”

Maybe he should have just been honest with Hunk; what did he have to lose? Well, except losing his best friend. They could laugh about this in a few years. Ah yes, silly Lance and his silly feelings. They could laugh about it over a double date - it would’ve been hilarious in the future. Just not right now.

“I don’t know, man. Destiny sucks,” Lance said.

He scooted closer to Hunk, sitting up to hold his hands. This may have been his last shot to sat something. He squeezed Hunk’s hands, looking down at them. Hunk looked at him in confusion, and Lance could feel his stare into his soul. He took a deep breath.

“This is gonna sound weird.” More than just weird. It was going to change everything between them. “I… dude. I don’t want my soulmate, because it won’t be you.”

“Lance, wha--”

Lance pressed a finger to Hunk’s lips with a shh. His heart was thudding in his ears, and his palms felt clammy. He quickly moved his hand away, back on Hunk’s hands. He looked up at him, smiling nervously up at Hunk.

“What I’m trying to say is, I don’t want a soulmate who isn’t you. She could be the prettiest girl in the world, but she still wouldn’t be you. I don’t want anyone else because I love you, man.”

Hunk took a moment to process what just happened. He thought Lance had realised sooner, he thought Lance didn’t want him. He realised as those pretty blues stared up at him, Lance had no idea. Hunk chuckled, unsure if it was from relief or actual amusement.

“You haven’t figured it out?” Hunk asked. Lance, looking confused, shook his head. Hunk took his face in his hands, his cheeks burning to the touch. “It’s me.”

“Wh-- what’s you?” Lance blinked up at him.

“It’s me. I’m your-- you’re my--”

Hunk couldn’t get the words out, and Lance was just looking more and more confused. Sometimes, actions were better than words. With a frustrated sigh, Hunk pulled Lance’s face close to his, pressing their lips together. The contact made Hunk’s breath hitch, eyes squeezed shut.

Lance didn’t know what was going on for a few seconds. All he knew was Hunk’s face was against his, their noses awkwardly pressed together. He stared at him, wide-eyed, before his brain could finally comprehend. He grabbed Hunk’s hands, eyes fluttering shut and leaning into the kiss.

They finally broke the kiss, looking into each others’ eyes. The pieces were finally slotting together in Lance’s head. He smiled, pressing his forehead against Hunk’s.

“You’re right, it’s you. It’s always been you,” Lance whispered.

“Man, we must look so stupid,” Hunk laughed. “It took us this long to figure out this is how we were meant to be.”

“At least you figured it out first. Otherwise I’d still be chasing a girl who doesn’t exist,” Lance said. “And that’s why I don’t feel like puking with you around, why I always just wanted you.”

It made things make a lot of sense. Even from the first meeting, all Lance wanted was to be Hunk’s friend. He wanted nothing more than to be close to him. At the time, he brushed it off - he was always friendly to new people. He didn’t understand how much he needed Hunk until now, years later.

“I love you, Hunk, and I’ll tell you that for the rest of my life,” Lance said.

Hunk kissed the end of his nose, watching his face light up. “I love you too, Lance.”

Lance shuffled, moving to sit on Hunk’s lap. He wrapped his arms around his neck, chin on Hunk’s shoulder. Hunk held him close, rubbing his back in slow circles. This was how home felt. They could have been anywhere in the universe, but it would have never felt right without each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again a big thanks to [Mary](http://artbymaryc.tumblr.com/)!! She provided the art, and you guys really need to check her out :D


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